Using like as a conjunction is ranked as #7 in a list on onlinecollege.org of the 20 most controversial rules in the grammar world. In Traditional grammar and usage, like is used as a preposition, while as is used as a conjunction. This particular English language controversy caused a different kind of uproar when Walter …
The choice between using different from versus different than is another one of those English language myths. Prescriptivists argue that different from is the only correct form that educated people would choose. Indeed, some discussion boards on this usage point reveal that some purists feel so strongly they cite the decline or dumbing down of …
Which is correct – different from or different than? Read More »
A recent Writing Workshop wanted to talk about voice in literature. They noticed that when participants shared their writing, they could “hear” the author’s voice more clearly than when they read the work on their own. In this Workshopping process, we share and discuss the work in a structured and consciously developed method, which involves …
Many English handbooks and teachers assert that it is wrong to use the passive voice when writing. This is another English language myth. The passive voice has its place in writing. First, it’s important to understand what is meant by the passive voice – though most of us have seen it in writing, if not …
Style guides have been mentioned in a number of posts on Writing Essentials by Ellen. For those who are not familiar with them these reference works – sometimes called style manuals, stylebooks, or documentation guides – contain editing and formatting standards. They are used by students, academics, researchers, journalists and other writers to put their …
The previous post looked at some contested uses of adverbs: the overuse of adverbs, especially in the place of strong, specific verbs, and the use of flat adverbs (drive slow rather than drive slowly). These flat, or short, adverb forms do not have the familiar adverb –ly endings and look like their related adjective forms, …
Some writers feel strongly about adverbs. For instance, Stephen King, or some say Nathaniel Hawthorne, is quoted as saying the following about this part of speech: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” In this post, we’ll consider the adverb, that most mobile of the English word classes, which often finds itself both the …
We saw in the previous post, how style and rhythm are affected by how a series is handled – using commas as separators with the serial comma (or Oxford comma) before the conjunction; using all conjunctions and no commas; or using only commas for the series. As Kolln illustrated, the use of all conjunctions slows …
Writers can use their understanding of grammar rules and sentence syntax to shape their stylistic choices. As discussed in the previous post, when writers make “accurate, effective, and helpful punctuation choices,” this adds to their competency and authority as a writers, asserts Martha Kolln in Rhetorical Grammar (84). While grammar handbooks and in-house style guides …
This blog has focused a lot on surface errors, such as those of punctuation, partly because it’s a way to give writers quick and focused tips on common mistakes that appear in writing by beginners and professionals. “Mistakes are a fact of life,” as the Lunsfords say in an essay with that as its title …